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Top teams to contest the SAC Shield


St Andrew's captain, Coel Trollip will be aiming to lead his team to glory on home waters at the SAC Shield.
St Andrew’s captain, Coel Trollip, will be aiming to lead his team to glory in home waters at the SAC Shield.

(Please note Thursday fixtures were amended on Thursday morning, see below)

Residents in Makhanda, in the Eastern Cape, can expect a buzz of activity, churning water, and loud cheers with two major water polo tournaments grabbing the spotlight in the town this weekend.

The action will happen thick and fast at the annual St Andrew’s College (SAC) Shield, while nearby Kingswood College welcomes some of the top girls’ teams from across South Africa for the Brian Baker Tournament.

Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools.

The events run concurrently, beginning on Thursday, 23 January, with the respective finals scheduled for Sunday, 26 January.

The SAC Shield will see 12 of the best water polo-playing boys’ teams lock horns for the prestigious shield.

In 2024, the title returned to the Western Cape after South African College High School (SACS) edged out their rivals Bishops Diocesan College 9-8 in the final.

Last year’s finalists,  SACS and Bishops, have been drawn in Pool A along with St Andrew’s College, St Stithians College, and the KwaZulu-Natal duo of Westville Boys’ High and Clifton College.

SACS and Bishops, led by coaches Devon Card and Jabulani Sibiya, will be among the favourites to go all the way.

Bishops have made a bright start to their season and impressed in Tuesday’s opening round of the SACS Nite Series. Sibiya’s charges, meanwhile, handily defeated Wynberg Boys’ High 15-6, but SACS suffered an early blow, slipping to a narrow 7-8 defeat to Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG).

The hosts, St Andrew’s College, are buzzing heading into the SAC Shield. Understandably so. Under the guidance of head coach Grant Mackenzie, the Makhanda boys got their season off to a cracking start last week. They thumped Kingswood College 11-1, Pearson High 9-1, and Woodridge College 8-1 in games Mackenzie said, “provided excellent preparation” for the tournament.

Westville Boys’ High and Clifton College will also be out to stake a claim in Makhanda. Clifton has begun life under new head coach Pierre le Roux, who returned from New Zealand to take over from Paul Martin, who has joined Hilton College.

Le Roux, who has been back in South Africa for only two weeks, watched his team coast to an emphatic 24-2 win over St Charles College on the weekend. Westville, meanwhile, won 15-8 at Maritzburg College.

The other Pool A side is Stithians College, one of the dark horse title contenders. Coach Michael Stewart’s boys finished ninth last year and they’ll have their sights set far higher this time around. They’re unpredictable and could spring a few surprises.

Pool A is stacked with quality fixtures and teams. So, too, is Pool B.

Rondebosch forward Jack Robinson (Cap: 11) will pose threats for teams in Makhanda. Photo: MBL Sports Photography
Rondebosch forward Jack Robinson (Cap: 11) will pose a serious threat to ‘Bosch’s opponents in Makhanda. Photo: MBL Sports Photography

St John’s College, who finished third in 2024, will be gunning for the top spot in 2025. Coached by the experienced Vlad Trninic, they defeated Jeppe High School for Boys 12-5 in their season opener last weekend.

St John’s will battle it out in Pool B with Rondebosch Boys’ High, Paul Roos, Grey High, Selborne College, and Hilton College.

Both Rondebosch and PRG had their confidence boost after wins in the SACS Nite Series over Reddam House Constantia and SACS respectively.

As previously mentioned, Hilton College has a new coach, Paul Martin. He’s a top coach and over the previous decade compiled an outstanding record at Clifton.

His first match in charge, on Saturday, resulted in a big 15-1 win over Glenwood High School, so Hilton, with some key performers from last year’s lineup returning, should fancy their chances in Makhanda.

Grey High and Selborne College complete the group, and they will want to make a statement playing in their home province. At last year’s Schools Water Polo South Africa Inter-Provincial Tournament, Buffalo City‘s u19 side, made up solely of players from Selborne, finished an admirable fourth.

The first match of the tournament features St Andrew’s College against Westville Boys’ High at 07:30.

Previous winners

2024 – SACS
2023 – Paul Roos Gimnasium
2022 – Bishops Diocesan College
2021 – St Andrew’s College
2020 – Bishops Diocesan College
2019 – SACS

Groups

Pool A: St Andrew’s College, Westville Boys’ High, SACS, St Stithians College, Bishops, Clifton College.
Pool B: Rondebosch Boys’ High, Selborne College, Paul Roos Gimnasium, Grey High School, Hilton College, St John’s College.

Fixtures

Thursday, 23 January

Pool A

07:30 – St Andrew’s College vs Westville Boys’ High; 08:20 – Clifton College vs Bishops Diocesan College; 10:50 – Bishops Diocesan College vs St Stithians College; 11:40 – Westville Boys’ High vs Clifton College; 12:30 – SACS vs St Andrew’s College; 15:00 – St Andrew’s College vs St Stithians College; 17:30 St Stithians College vs SACS

Pool B

09:10 – Hilton College vs Rondebosch Boys’ High; 10:00 – Selborne College vs St John’s College; 13:20 – Grey High School vs Hilton College; 14:10 – Paul Roos vs Selborne College; 15:50 – St John’s College vs Grey High School; 16:40 – Rondebosch Boys’ High vs Paul Roos

Friday, 24 January

Pool A

09:30 – SACS vs Westville Boys’ High; 10:20 – St Andrew’s College vs Bishops Diocesan College; 11:10 – Clifton College vs Stithians College; 14:30 – Westville Boys’ High vs Stithians College; 15:20 – Clifton College vs St Andrew’s College; 16:10 – Bishops Diocesan College vs SACS.

Pool B

07:00 – Hilton College vs Paul Roos Gimnasium; 07:50 – Rondebosch Boys’ High vs St John’s College; 08:40 – Grey High School vs Selborne College; 12:00 – Paul Roos Gimnasium vs Grey High School; 12:50 – Selborne College vs Rondebosch Boys’ High; 13:40 – St John’s College vs Hilton College; 17:00 – St John’s College vs Paul Roos Gimnasium; 17:50 – Hilton College vs Selborne College.

Saturday, 25 January

Pool A

07:00 – Bishops Diocesan College vs Westville Boys’ High; 07:50 – SACS vs Clifton College.

Pool B

08:40 – Rondebosch Boys’ High vs Grey High School

Play-offs

10:20 – Quarterfinal 1; 11:10 – Quarterfinal 2; 12:00 – Quarterfinal 3; 12:50 – Quarterfinal 4; 13:40 – 5th-8th place-playoff; 14:30 – 5th-8th place-playoff; 17:00 – Semifinal 1; 17:50 – Semifinal 2.

Sunday, 26 January

08:00 – 11th/12th place-playoff; 08:50 – 9th/10th place-playoff; 09:40 – 7th/8th place-playoff; 10:30 – 5th/6th place-playoff; 11:20 – 3rd/4th place-playoff; 12:10 – Final.

Avuyile Sawula
error: Sorry ol' chap, those shenanigans are not permissible.